The girl hadn’t dressed down. If anything, she had spent the evening preening herself, adding extra layers of intrigue and colour. A couple of new lines of sky blue had appeared in hair hanging down the sides of her face, while her nails were freshly painted. She wore a t-shirt with the slogan Art is Life on the front, with what Emily could only describe as a technicolour jacket over the top. It looked like someone had sewn together several multi-coloured toilet mats.
‘Thanks,’ Veronica said, setting into place like a peacock preparing to roost. ‘Are you getting on okay?’
Emily shrugged. ‘I suppose. I feel a bit isolated.’ With a smile she hoped might make her seem young and hip, she said, ‘I forgot my phone charger.’
‘Nightmare,’ Veronica said, deadpan. ‘You can’t get much signal anywa
